The Helpline

The b-format edition of the big-hearted and hilarious Australian debut that charmed the world.Germaine Johnson may not be all that good with people but she's great with numbers.Unfortunately, as she discovers after the incident at Wallace Insurance, there are very few openings these days for senior mathematicians.Then her cousin gets her a job at the council. On the Senior Citizens Helpline.It's not the resume entry Germaine wanted - but it turns out Mayor Verity Bainbridge has something more interesting in mind for her. A secret project involving the troublemakers at the senior citizens centre and their feud with the golf club next door. Which is run by the strangely attractive Don Thomas.Don and the mayor want the seniors closed down. Germaine wants what Don and the mayor want. But when she's forced to get to know the 'troublemakers' - things get more complicated.A sharp, witty, big-hearted comedy from a hilarious new Australian writer, Katherine Collette's The Helpline is about people power and brain power - and the difficulty of getting them to work together.

Long-listed for Indie Book Awards for Debut Fiction 2019 (Australia)

“'The character of Germaine, endearing but far from cutesy, is the great triumph of this accomplished debut.'”

'The character of Germaine, endearing but far from cutesy, is the great triumph of this accomplished debut.’ Sydney Morning Herald
‘Witty and unexpectedly charming, The Helpline is genuinely hilarious.’ Overland
‘The Helpline is populated with prickly women who are often terse or unkind to the people around them. And it’s wonderful.’ Broadsheet
‘Delightful…a warm and heart-warming tale of biscuits, mayors, bureaucracy, round pegs in square holes, golf, serial pests, sudoku, incomprehensible formulas, Red Emperors and infrastructure. This is a light-hearted, laugh-out-loud kind of rom com, which I can highly recommend as the perfect reading in these iso times.’ Cass Moriarty
‘A fun read, full of unique characters.’ Daily Mail
‘Clever writing about an awkward character.’ Kirkus Reviews

Katherine Collette is a writer and environmental engineer. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children. The Helpline is her first novel.

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